Students across campus have a new way to find internships, jobs and schedule interviews with potential employers.

The Career Center, 715 S. Wright St., released I-Link the week of Jan. 11 when classes resumed after winter break. I-Link replaces I-Connect, which served as an online job search resource for students, but positions posted on I-Connect were exclusive to the site.

Keri Pipkins, coordinator for Employer Relations and Employment Services at the Career Center, said the University adopted I-Link because the software allowed the Career Center to partner with five other career services offices on campus. Only 12 other colleges in the U.S. have this kind of shared environment, she said.

“It’s a newer concept in career services, and we feel like it’s something that sets us apart,” Pipkins said. “We’re cutting edge in that respect.”

I-Link is part of a “Multi-School Environment,” which is a shared system among Engineering, ILIR, ACES, School of Chemical Sciences and Alumni Career Services, Pipkins said.

Under the new system, all job postings are shared. Regardless of which office receives and approves a job posting, all qualified students can see and apply for the job. Job Fair information is also shared between career offices, and any student can view the companies attending or register for a job fair, regardless of which office is hosting it.

“What that means is that a student who maybe is interested in technical jobs that may have only been posted in the College of Engineering before can see those positions if they qualify,” Pipkins said.

As of last week, more than 2,000 students had registered on I-Link, with about 6,700 enrolled across the system, including those who are enrolled through their college’s career office. I-Connect had about 2,300 registered students when the Career Center made the switch.

“If you think about how many students graduated or are already employed, I think our numbers are really strong,” Pipkins said, explaining the Career Center got the word out by e-mailing all students registered in I-Connect, posting information on their home page and informing academic advisers.

Students whose colleges do not have an exclusive employment database said they were excited to be included in I-Link.

“I believe all of the colleges joining up gives students more options when looking for jobs rather than going through their normal networking route,” said Susan Lester, senior in Communications. “I-Link is really good in combining all of the colleges that are participating into one system.”

Students seem to find this system very user-friendly and easy to navigate, Pipkins said. There have not been any complaints or glitches.

Kali Crouch, senior in LAS, attended the Business Career Fair last month and said students outside the college were more accessible to potential employers with I-Link.

“I felt like I had a legitimate chance at interviews after the Career Fair with I-Link,” Crouch said. “I think recruiters were more easily able to contact non-business majors under the new system.”